Minn. woman sues air traffic controller over plane crash

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The ex-wife of a Minnesota pilot who died with his three sons in a 2010 plane wreck in western Wyoming is suing a company that provides air traffic control services at the Jackson Hole Airport.

Michelle Bucklin sued Virginia-based Serco, Inc., in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne this week claiming an air traffic controller's negligence caused the crash.

Forty-one-year-old pilot Luke Bucklin of Minneapolis and 14-year-old twins Nate and Nick, and 12-year-old Noah all died when their small plane went down in Wyoming's rugged Wind River Range.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded last fall Luke Bucklin's decision to fly his heavily loaded plane over mountains in snowy weather probably caused the accident. It said improper flight clearance by an air traffic controller and Bucklin's acceptance of that clearance contributed.

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